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Kundalini Yoga: Keeping the Body Beautiful

Taught in October, 1969

The body is a temple of human expression and evolvement. We are often told by the media and friends that it wears out, has many illnesses, and is extremely fragile. In fact, the body is sensitive and self-repairing. As Yogi Bhajan puts it:

“This beautiful body cannot be eaten by anything except your own ego. God doesn‘t kill you. There is no death except your own ego, and your own negativity which reduces the voltage of your life force so your circumvent field becomes weak and death creeps into your body. This body is beautiful. It was made by a very special imagination of the Creator.

People search for the experience of God, the experience of freedom, energy, and consciousness. If we would only purify ourselves, then God would be known to us and come to live in us. That infinite energy is the giver in every situation. We recognize it by cleaning, caring, and utilizing what we have already been given.”

Our own habits of possession, constriction, anger, tension, and attachment set up energy patterns within the body that disrupt the normal flow of vital energy. This opens the door to disease, both physical and mental. After all, we are creators also, and, to a certain extent, create the environments we want to live in. We create our bodies with each thought and activity, as well as with each meal. So we need to clean the body and readjust the flow of energy periodically since we are all products of our habits and since few of us are without ego.

This kriya, which contains a slight variation of the standard Frog Pose, is very powerful. You must keep the chin locked in. It re-adjusts the sex energy and the balance of prana and apana. It is good for digestion and brings circulation to the head. If done with powerful breaths, it will make you sweat quickly.

1. Long Deep Breathing. Sit in Easy Pose with spine straight. Begin breathing long and deep through both nostrils. Focus on the life-giving flow of breath for 3 minutes. To end, inhale, suspend the breath a few seconds, then relax the breath.

2. Frog Pose. Squat down on the toes, knees wide apart. Heels are touching, and raised up off the ground. Place the fingertips on the ground between the knees. The face is forward. Inhale as you raise the hips up, keeping the fingertips on the ground, heels up, knees locked.

Exhale down, face forward, knees outside of arms. 10 times. On the tenth, stay down and take three deep breaths. On the third breath exhale completely and suspend the breath out as you apply mulbandh. Suspend the breath out 10-20 seconds.

Repeat Frog Pose 26 times. On the last time, stay down and take three deep breaths. On the third breath, suspend the breath out and again apply mulbandh. Feel energy rise along the spine as you suspend the breath out. Do not strain.

3. Front Stretch. Stretch the legs out straight in front. Relax forward and grab the big toes in Finger Lock (Index finger and middle finger pull the toe, and the thumb presses on the toe.) Inhale, lengthening the spine. Exhale, bend forward from the navel, bringing chest to thighs, nose to knees. The head follows last. Avoid leading with the head. Hold the position for 3 minutes.